Becoming a Family
by JasonMorganfan87
Summary: Bella wasn't alone when she came to Forks. She shows up with someone that means more to her than anyone else ever could, even Edward. A baby boy. How would Edward react to a stronger, more responsible Bella? Will Bella even want to be with Edward or will she want to protect her son from the vampire world?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or any of its characters. **

**Becoming a Family**

**Bella's POV**

I walked into the airport in Forks, Washington and sighed. Needless to say, I was not thrilled to be here. I hated the rain and cold. Forks was both. But this wasn't about me. My mother, while she loved me, wanted to be free to travel with her husband, Phil, not that she'd ever say it. But this wasn't about her either. Well, okay, in a way it did. I could feel how hard it was for her to deal with me and my access baggage.

I of course didn't consider it baggage. How could I consider the best thing to ever happen to me baggage? But I knew my mother did. It became clearer with each passing day. I couldn't really blame her, as it wasn't something she should have to deal with, but I couldn't stay with her knowing how she truly felt. So I'd decided to go live with Charlie, my father.

I'd spoken with Charlie at length about it. It was probably the longest conversation we'd ever had. I had to make sure he wouldn't resent things the way I knew my mother was begging to. He assured me he didn't and never would. He said he wanted us here.

Yes, I did say 'us'. I didn't come alone. I had my six-month-old son, Jude with me. That's right, I, Isabella Swan, was a teen mom. I got involved with a guy right after my sixteenth birthday and we had sex. I found out I was pregnant and like a lot of other guys, my child's father bailed. So here I was, a seventeen-year-old girl raising a child on her own. Despite the circumstances though, I wouldn't change it for the world.

My beautiful baby sat in his stroller as we made our way towards Charlie. He was waiting for us right outside the gate holding a stuffed teddy bear.

Charlie smiled when we made it over to him. "Hey, kiddo," he said before bending down to my boy's level. "Hey, Jude. I'm your grampa. I got something for you."

Jude took the stuffed toy from my father and stuck it in his mouth.

"Man, Bells, those pictures you sent didn't do him justice," Charlie said. He had never actually met Jude before today.

I smiled down at my baby. I couldn't agree more with my father. I might be biased, but I truly believed my son was the most beautiful baby in the world. He had my color hair and the most gorgeous blue eyes. That he got from my ex. And don't even get me started on his smile. It would just light up the whole world. "Yeah, he's something, huh?"

Charlie stood up and smiled at me. "You did good, kid. You ready to go."

"Yeah, I just need to grab my luggage. Can I leave him with you for a minute?" I asked. I didn't want to maneuver the carriage through that crowd.

"Please," Charlie said as he took the carriage from me.

I thanked him and quickly went to get mine and Jude's stuff.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Twenty minutes later, we were in Charlie's cruiser on the way to the house. Most of the ride was quite. Charlie didn't speak until we were nearly home.

"So I got you something," he said.

Ugh, Dad, you know I hate gifts." I always had hated it when people gave me gifts. I preferred to do things for myself. That was especially true after Jude was born. It was my job to provide for him and myself, not anybody else's.

"Think of it as for the kid then," Charlie said as he pulled into the driveway. There was one other car there. It was a silver Toyota. It looked slightly used, but all and all it appeared in good condition.

As soon as the car came to a stop, I got out and went to the back to get Jude out.

"Well?" Charlie asked.

"Well, what?" I asked as I placed Jude on my hip.

Charlie motioned to the Toyota.

"Wait, this is mine. This is the gift you were talking about," I asked as I approached the car.

"Well, I figured you needed something to drive. My friend Billy offered for me to buy this old truck off him, but I figured this would be more ideal," Charlie said.

He wasn't wrong about that. There was no way I'd feel comfortable driving Jude around in a truck. I needed something that was safer and more practical. I didn't mess around when it came to Jude's safety and well-being. "It runs good?"

"Like a dream. I tested it out before I got it. It also has air bags, front and rear, and it has child safety locks on the doors and windows," Charlie told me.

"Dad, this is so great, but you didn't have to do this. I was going to buy a car myself. I have some money saved," I told him.

"Which you need to save for other things. Having a baby isn't exactly cheap," Charlie said.

I snorted. "Believe me you don't have to tell me that. Thanks for the car."

"You're welcome. Come on, we'll get your bags later. I wanna show you your room," Charlie said before heading inside.

I followed him inside, through the house, and up to the second floor. I began to get confused when we walked past the room that used to be mine. It might have been a while since I'd been there, but not that long. "Dad, where are we going? My room's back that way."

"Not anymore," Charlie said as he continued to walk to his own room.

I began to get a bad feeling. I was beginning to see what he was doing. "Dad, I'm not letting you give up your room."

"It's already done, Bells," Charlie said as he opened the door to his room. "This room is bigger and better suitable for the two of you.

I followed him inside and was mesmerized. One side of the room held a large bed with a dresser across from it and a desk and chair on the side of that. On the other side, was stuff for Jude. There was large, white crib, a changing table, and a small dresser. "Dad, this is too much."

"Nothing is too much for my grandson. God, it's still weird saying that," Charlie said.

"Yeah, but you didn't need to buy furniture and you certainly didn't need to give up your room," I said. I didn't like this one bit. I didn't want to become an inconvenience. My father shouldn't have to provide for my baby. That was my job.

"I know, but I wanted to. Look, it makes more sense for you to have this room. I don't need all this space. You do. The other room is just not big enough," he said.

I sighed. "Are you sure?"

Charlie nodded.

"Okay, but you can't do anything else. I take care of Jude's needs from here on out. Deal?"

"Deal. Now I'm going to go get your bags out of the car. You get settled," Charlie said before leaving.

"I'll there to help in a minute!" I yelled to him. I took Jude's coat off of him and then placed him in the crib. I went over to the diaper bag and took out the baby monitor, which I quickly set up. "Okay, Mama will be right back," I told my son before grabbing my half of the baby monitor and heading out of the room.


	2. Chapter 2

**Bella's POV**

About a week after moving to Forks, I started at Forks High. I was actually enrolled to go the day after, but having a baby with no child care set up made that impossible. So I spent the last week looking into daycare centers. I finally found one just down the street from the police station. It was a nice place with good references, and Jude would be close to Charlie if God forbid something happened. All and all, I was happy with the arrangement.

I also managed to find myself a job after school at the local diner in town. I needed to get some kind of income if I was going to provide for Jude, and I was. There was no ifs about it actually.

Anyway, I was halfway through my first day of school now. It was lunchtime. I met a few people so far. The only one I really liked and thought of as friend worthy was a girl named Angela. Lauren was too snobbish and self-centered for my liking and Jessica wasn't much better. Then there was Mike, who reminded me way too much of my ex. He was the type that only wanted one thing.

As I made myself to the table with Angela and Jessica, I decided sit with them as they were the only people I knew, I tripped over a chair. Did I mention I was a natural born klutz? I managed to stop myself from falling, but a dropped my bag and all of its contents onto the floor.

"Oh, I'll help you, Bella," Mike said eagerly.

I rolled my eyes, but didn't say anything as he helped me. Soon everything was back in my bad except a picture of myself and Jude, which was in Mike's hand.

Mike handed me the picture. "You and your brother seem very close."

I scowled. If I only had one pet peeve, it was when people assumed Jude was my brother. I hated that. It probably didn't help that my mother encouraged the assumptions. She preferred that I allowed people to believe he was my brother. She didn't want anyone to know that her only daughter was a teenage mother. I wouldn't have any of it though. Jude was mine. I gave birth to him, I looked after him every day. There was no way in hell I was going to let someone else have the title of his mother, even if the people in question didn't know him or me. "He's not my brother."

"Oh. Your cousin then?" Mike asked as we both took our seats.

"He's my son," I told him.

Nearly everyone at the table gave me weird and awkward looks, but I didn't pay them any attention. It wasn't like I wasn't used to it. Everyone at my old school looked at me the same way. I didn't care.

I did take note of Mike's reaction though. After he got passed the shock, he moved from next to me to in between Lauren and a guy named Eric, which satisfied me just fine. Mike's little crush was nipped in the bud very nicely. It was really amazing how guys would run for the hills once you told them you had a kid.

I began to eat and found myself unconsciously looking around the lunch room. My eyes landed on a group at the back of the room. There were three boys and two girl and they all looked absolutely beautiful.

Normally, I didn't notice things like this. I didn't usually care much about people from school, especially since Jude was born. But for some reason, these five caught my attention, in particular the bronze haired one. "Who are they?"

Jessica seemed to be too busy staring at me to realize what I was actually saying, though she did hear me speak. "W…what?"

I pointed to the group of kids. "Them. Who are they?"

Jessica looked back to see who I was talking about. "Oh, the Cullens," she said distractedly. She appeared to be more interested in the teenage mother, AKA, me.

"What are their names?" I questioned. Again, I didn't know why I cared so much, but I did.

"The two at the end are Edward and Emmett. Next to them are Rosalie and Jasper Hale. The tiny one next to Jasper is Alice," she rushed through.

The others stared at her, almost like they expected her to go into further detail than that. It wouldn't have surprised me. Jessica reminded me the gossip type. Thought I was sure I gave her more to gossip about than the Cullens.

My gaze continued to fall on the Bronze haired boy. I was more interested in him than the other four. He appeared to be somewhat interested in me too because he kept staring at me. "Which one is the reddish brown haired?" I couldn't figure out from Jessica's explanation if he was Edward or Emmett.

"That's Edward. Don't bother. He doesn't date," Jessica said. I could almost hear the comment of him not dating teen moms, but the words never actually left Jessica's mouth. I could tell she was thinking it though.

It didn't matter to me though. I wasn't interested in dating either. I had enough to deal with without adding guys to the mix. So why couldn't I get Edward Cullen out of my head?

Xxxxxxxxxxx

A few hours later, I arrived home after picking Jude up from Daycare. My day had gotten weirder after lunch. I had biology with Edward Cullen and it was the weirdest things I'd ever encountered. He kept giving me these glares all throughout class and then bolted from the room. Talk about strange.

I was pulled from my thoughts when Jude started to fuss. "Oh, I know, baby, you're hungry.

I brought Jude to the living room and placed him in the playpen that was set up next to the couch. "Okay, you hang out here while Mama gets you a bottle I then disappeared into the kitchen.


	3. Chapter 3

**Bella's POV**

It was a few weeks before I saw Edward Cullen again. He disappeared after that first day. I saw the rest of the Cullens, but Edward was mysteriously absent. Until today that was. I saw him a couple of times today and now I had Biology with him.

I immediately went over and took my seat next to him. "Hi." I wasn't really expecting a response as he didn't seem to like me much, but I wasn't just going to sit there in silence. A year ago I would've, as I was always kind of shy, but when you were in high school ad also a teenage mom, you kind of had to toughen up.

"Hello. I'm Edward Cullen," he said surprising me. His glare was gone as well. Apparently he'd gotten over whatever issue he had with me.

"Yes, I know. They talk about you a lot around here," I said.

"Not as much as they talk about you," Edward said with a smile.

I laughed. "Nobody talks about anybody more than they talk about me. Sorry, you've been replaced. As far as gossip worthy people go, the teen mom will always win out."

Edward chuckled. "I'll try to get over it."

Soon the class started. Edward and I began doing our lab assignment and talking at the same time. Eventually we began talking about the weather and how much I hated it.

"Why did you come here then?" he asked.

"Because my life isn't about me anymore. It's about my son. If it comes down to my happiness or his, his will win every time," I told him. Actually, I wasn't all that happy in Phoenix either. I loved the weather, but my mom's attitude towards Jude was really making me resent her. It was better for everyone that I left.

"Your son wasn't happy in Phoenix?" Edward asked.

I chuckled. "My son is only nearly seven-months-old. He would be happy anywhere I am. But that would've eventually changed. You see, my mother resents Jude. She resented his presence in her home, resented the way people would talk about her because of him. He would've eventually picked up on that and I couldn't allow that."

"It's different with your father?" Edward asked.

"Oh, yeah. My father loves Jude. Don't get me wrong, he was plenty pissed when he found out I was pregnant. I wanted to go after my ex with a shotgun, especially when the jerk refused to claim Jude, but he's accepted my son fully. He even gave us his room," I explained. I was actually surprised at how well I'd adjusted to living with Charlie, as we barely spent any time together before that, but it was frankly very easy, especially with how accepting he was to Jude.

"Your ex just left you like that? With a baby?" he asked with a surprising level of anger in his voice.

"What do you expect? He was a seventeen-year-old guy. No offense. Actually, I'm surprised you're not running for the hills right now. Most guys, or anyone for that matter, can't get away fast enough when they learn I have a child," I told him.

"Not everyone is like that," Edward said with an edge to his voice.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but most are," I told him. That had been my experience. It didn't really affect me anymore, as I learned there were more important things, like my baby boy, but that didn't make me blind to it.

"Does it bother you?" Edward asked.

"Not anymore. It bothered me when I was pregnant, but I've learned not to bother me anyway. I'm pretty much immune to it at this point. Sometimes it's even helpful. For example, that Newton kid was following me around like a puppy. Finding out I have a son was a quick cure for that. What bothers me the most is what my mother thinks," I said. I wasn't sure why I was saying all this to a guy I barely knew. Edward was just easy for me to talk to. Again, I didn't know why.

"Have you tried to tell her that it bothers you?" Edward asked.

"Several times. She tells me all the time that it's all in my head," I told him. I knew better of course. My mother could claim whatever she wanted, but I knew she resented my child. If I didn't know it before, I definitely knew it when she didn't put up a fight when I told her I wanted to move in with Charlie.

Edward seemed like he was about to say something, but he was cut off when the teacher began to address the class once more.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

I few days after my talk with Edward, I pulled up into school. I was not having a good day. First, I woke up to find that it was snowing. Then my babysitter was running late. It was Friday and the daycare center didn't work that day, so I hired someone to come look after him on Fridays. Unfortunately, she was running late and Charlie had already left for the station, so I was forced to take Jude to school with me and hope she arrived there before classes began.

As soon as I got out of the car, I saw the stares and heard the whisperings. I ignored it like I always did, but unlike before, it did bother me. It bothered me because Jude was with me and I didn't want him to pick up on the environment around him.

I stood by my car and looked around, hoping to see the sitter's care show up soon. Unfortunately, it was nowhere to be seen. She was probably running even more late because of the weather. That didn't bode well for me. I couldn't exactly take a baby to class with me.

It wasn't long before I heard the screeching tires from another car. I turned in horror and saw Tyler Crowley's van heading right for me and my son.


	4. Chapter 4

**Bella's POV**

Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. As the van came at me, I turned and wrapped my arms protectively around Jude. I couldn't get away in time, but I could try to protect my son. I prayed for a miracle. For Jude's life to be saved. I knew the likelihood of that was small. The likelihood of me surviving was low, let alone a little baby. But I had to try. I had to do whatever it took to save my son's life. My life didn't matter as long as he lived.

I soon felt something hit me, but instead of crushing me into the car like I was expecting, it pushed me to the ground. I managed to maneuver Jude so that he didn't fall that way too.

I opened my eyes to see what had me pinned down, but when I opened them, I saw that the van was still coming towards me. The person, as I now realized was what it was on me, went to stop it, but before that could happen, I saw something flash towards us in an instant. I couldn't see what or who it was because it was too fast. All I could really see was blond.

Before I knew it, Jude and I were pulled away by our hero just in time for the van to crash right where we once were. Then I finally got a look at my hero. Well, one of them. It was Edward Cullen.

Jude was screaming his head off at this point. Honestly, it was the most beautiful sound in the world to me at this point. I had just come so close to losing him. It was a miracle that he was alive. It was a miracle that either of us were alive.

I cradled my baby as tight as I could without actually hurting him. I felt my hands shake as I held him. This had truly been the most frightening moment of my entire life.

I soon became slightly aware of another person approaching, but I didn't pay them any attention. My attention was on my baby and never letting go of him.

"Bella, don't move. You hit your head and the baby might be hurt too," the second voice said.

At that statement, my eyes widened and I turned to the second voice. It was Rosalie Hale, Edward's sister.

"No, it's just a precaution. I'm sure your son's fine," Edward said before glaring at his sister. Then he started speaking in a low voice that I could barely hear. "What were you doing? I had it. We can't explain both of us."

It was at that point that I realized Rosalie had been the blond I'd seen stop the van. She and Edward had saved us. I didn't know how since they were both clear across the parking lot, but at this particular moment, I didn't care. They saved my life and more importantly my son's. I would care how later. Right now I just cared that they did.

Soon, I heard sirens from the ambulance.

"Help's here, Bella. You'll both be just fine," Edward assured me.

I stopped paying attention again and focused on Jude who was still screaming. "It's okay, baby. Mama's here. It's alright."

Rosalie stood up and called out to the paramedics. "Over here!"

Two EMT's were over at my side within seconds. "Was she hit?" one of them asked.

"No. My brother and I were next to her and we managed to pull her out of the way," Rosalie said.

That wasn't true, I knew, but again, I didn't care. I certainly wasn't going to accuse them of lying just minutes after they saved my baby.

"She hit her head. We think the baby's okay, but you should check him anyway," Edward said.

"Whose baby is that?" the paramedic asked.

"Whose do you think? He's hers," Rosalie said.

"Hers?" the man asked. His voice was filled with surprise and a little judgment.

It was then that I almost thought I heard Rosalie growl. "Listen, Jackass, we don't need to hear your views on teen mothers! What we need is for you to help the baby and his mother! So do your damn job!"

"Right, of course," the man said before he and his partner knelt beside me. "Young lady, I need you to let go of the baby now."

"No!" I practically yelled. They were not taking Jude from me. As long as he was in my arms and I heard him cry, I knew he was okay. If they took him, I couldn't make sure of that.

I heard Edward's voice at that moment. "Bella, they just want to make sure he's okay. They are not trying to take him away from you."

"Bella, if you want, I'll stay with him while they examine him. I'll make sure he's alright. I promise," Rosalie said.

I still didn't like it, but I believed Rosalie when she said that. She seemed to really care about Jude and what happened to him. It surprising because she never seemed the most friendly around school. "Y…you won't leave him?"

"No, I promise," she said.

I reluctantly loosened my grip on Jude and watched as the paramedics took hold of him. They examined him a little, presumably to make sure he didn't have some kind of spinal injury and then one of them took him away. My arms felt very empty without him.

The other one started examining me. "Okay, it looks like you might have a head injury. We're going to take you to the hospital as soon as we get that van out of the way."

It took a while for them to get it out of the way. It was big and it took a lot of them. I was growing impatient with the wait. Not the wait to get to the hospital though. I wanted my son back. He had been gone for much longer than I wanted and I could no longer hear him cry.

"Alright, we're bringing the stretchers through. Son, we would strap you in too," the paramedic said. I assumed he was speaking to Edward.

That assumption was confirmed with Edward's next words. "No. I will go to the hospital, but not that way. I was not injured."

"Well, alright, but you're going against medical advice," the man said as he began placing a brace around my neck. He the shifted a back board under me and flagged another EMT to help him put me onto the stretcher. "Okay, I think we're ready."

"No! Jude!" I yelled. If these people thought I was going anywhere without my baby, they were very much mistaken. It was not, I repeat not, going to happen!"

"I have him, Bella," Rosalie said as she appeared by my side with Jude in her arms.

I looked at them as well as I could with my head secured the way it was. Unfortunately, I couldn't get a good look at him. "Is he okay?"

"He's fine. The jackass paramedic said he doesn't have a scratch on him," Rosalie told me.

"Thank you. Thank you both for what you did. I'll never be able to repay you," I told them. Edward and Rosalie with the reason my son was alive. I wouldn't never ever forget that.

"We should get you to the hospital now," The EMT said.

"I'm going to ride with her. Rose, give me the baby. I'll sit him on my lap while we ride. Is that alright with you, Bella?" Edward asked.

"Yes," I told him immediately. If it meant Jude was coming with us, I didn't care how it was done. As long as I could see him the entire time, I was good.

I vaguely was able to see Edward take Jude into his arms before I was wheeled away towards the ambulance.


	5. Chapter 5

**Bella's POV**

Ten minutes later, we arrived at the hospital. That was thanks to Charlie. He'd shown up at school as we were about to leave and escorted the ambulance to the hospital. He also wanted to take Jude with him in his car, but I refused to let him. I knew that my son would be safe with him, but I just couldn't be away from him right now, not for one minute.

"Okay, they're going to take you for X-rays soon. In the meantime, just try not to move much," the nurse told me before leaving me alone with Edward and Jude.

I immediately went to take off the brace from around my neck.

"Bella, don't. You should leave that on until someone tells you," Edward lectured.

"I'm fine and I want to hold my baby," I told him.

"I think it's better for Jude if you leave it on. Your neck could be seriously hurt and you could end up paralyzed or something if you don't wait. That would certainly be bad for Jude," Edward said.

I glared at him as much as I could in my current position, but stopped trying to take the brace off. "You play dirty. Now get over here. If I can't hold my son, I at least want to be able to touch him.

Edward immediately walked closer so that he and Jude were right by my bed.

I reached out and took hold of Jude's hand. "Hey, baby. Mama's here.

Jude immediately started babbling and then grabbed ahold of my index finger.

"How's my big boy doing? You're not crying anymore, are you? You're my brave boy, aren't you?" I asked.

Just then I heard a commotion next to me. Another stretcher was brought in. I couldn't see who it was, but I figured it was a safe bet that it was Tyler. He had been hurt in the accident too.

"It's Tyler," Edward said, confirming my suspicions.

The nurses and EMTs did pretty much the same for Tyler as they did for me and then left. Then Tyler called out to me. "Bella? Bella, is that you? I'm so sorry."

I tried to ignore him. I was so pissed at him. If it had just been me, I probably could've just let it go, but his reckless driving nearly killed my son. That wasn't so easily forgiven.

Tyler kept going with his apologies and it made me angrier. So angry that I couldn't stay quiet anymore. "You nearly killed my son!"

"I know. I'm sorry, Bella," Tyler said again.

"You're sorry? Is that what you would've said if you had killed my baby?!" I asked angrily.

"I'm sorry. It was the ice, it was slippery and I was going too fast," Tyler rambled.

"Yeah, you were going too fast! Did you ever think that at least on a day like this, you ought to drive the speed limit?!" I had no sympathy for him right now. Not an hour ago, I came close to losing my life and my son, all because this idiot decided to go eighty on slick roads.

"Tyler, maybe you should leave her alone for a while, alright? She's had a rough day," Edward said.

Jude began to cry and I cringed. He'd obviously picked up on my anger and raised voice. "It's okay, Jude. Mama's sorry. She didn't mean to yell."

Just then, the nurse from before and a couple of guys in scrubs came over. "Okay, they're going to take you for x-rays now."

I cringed. I knew this meant I was going to have to leave Jude and I didn't like it one bit. I grabbed ahold of my boy's hand again. "Okay, Mama's going to be right back, okay? I'll be back before you know it."

With that, they started to wheel me away.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

I got back about twenty minutes later. Thankfully I was neck brace free. They said I was perfectly fine. Unfortunately, they wouldn't let me leave until I saw the doctor.

When I got back to the little cubicle area, Rosalie was there with Edward and my son. They were talking quietly, so quietly I couldn't hear. They stopped as soon as I got back.

"Okay, give me my baby," I said as soon as I was situated once more. It had been far too long since I'd been allowed to have him in my arms.

Edward smiled and held Jude out for me.

I gently took my baby from him. "Hey, big boy. Come here. Was he okay, for you while I was gone?" I asked Edward.

"Yes, but I think he missed you," Edward said.

"Look, I know I said it earlier, but thank you both so much for what you did. I don't know what I would've done without you," I said.

"It's not a problem. It was just good that we were standing so close to you," Rosalie said.

I didn't comment. I knew she was trying to get me to believe that they weren't across the parking lot when it happened, which they were, but I wasn't going to question them on it now. I was alive and so was my son. That was all I cared about right now. "Where's the doctor? I wanna get him home soon."

"I believe that would be me," another voice said.

I looked up to see a tall blond haired man with pale skin and the same topaz eyes as Edward and Rosalie come my way.

"Bella, this is our father," Edward said.

"Bella, is it? How are you feeling?" Doctor Cullen asked me.

"I'm fine. I'm more shaky than anything. That car would've killed my son if not for your kids," I told him.

"Would you allow Edward or Rosalie to hold the baby for a moment while I examine you?" he asked.

I sighed. I was not happy with that request. I just got Jude back. I was not at all happy about letting him go, even for a minute.

Edward and Rosalie both came forward to take Jude. I smiled with pride. Apparently they both loved my baby.

Dr. Cullen laughed. "Well, it appears this little one is quite popular."

I chuckled and gave Jude to Edward. I didn't know why, but I liked seeing Edward with Jude. He just seemed so natural with him. So if I couldn't have my son right now, Edward was the best alternative at the moment.

Edward smiled smugly at Rosalie as he took Jude back into his arms.

Doctor Cullen quickly examined me and told me what I already knew. I was fine. He gave me the glorious news that I could go home.

I stood up. "Thanks, Doctor," I said before taking Jude from Edward again. "Thank you both again."

"You don't have to keep thanking us, Bella. We were glad to do it," Edward said.

I then caught a look of nervousness from Doctor Cullen, but it disappeared as quickly as it showed up and I figured I must have imagined it. "Okay, well, we better go," I said before walking away with my son in my arms.


	6. Chapter 6

**Edward's POV**

I made it to school early Monday morning. I needed a bit of time alone without having to hear my siblings' thoughts. Needless to say, things hadn't gone real smooth when Rosalie and I made it home the other night. There was a whole big discussion about what we did and what needed to be done about it.

Alice hadn't had a real problem with it and neither had Emmett. They were both just worried about what this meant. Esme and Carlisle had no problem with it at all. They'd both expressed pride at what we'd done. Jasper, however, was more than a bit irritated. He proposed killing Bella. Rosalie and I had both lashed out at him for that. There was no way in hell he was taking Bella's life. I wouldn't allow it and neither would Rose.

It was amazing how Rosalie was about this whole thing. When I first decided to save Bella, I was sure she would be the most angry when she found out. Instead, she'd helped. I supposed I shouldn't be too surprised though. If it had just been Bella, she probably would've stayed out of it and expected me to do the same, but an innocent child had been involved.

I smiled as my thoughts went to Jude. I couldn't believe how one little baby could melt my long dead heart. When I held that little boy in my arms, it was like something had just come over me. It was similar to what I felt when I was around Bella except that instead of attraction, I felt pure protectiveness and devotion. I didn't understand what it meant, but I knew it wouldn't ever go away.

Unfortunately, I would have to ignore the longing feeling I had for both Bella and Jude. I couldn't be a part of their lives. I was too dangerous to them. One wrong move and I could drain them both dry. I could not allow that to happen. I would distance myself from them for their own safety.

When I got to school, I saw that Rosalie was here already too. She was by Bella's car looking at the damage to her back end.

I frowned and got out of the car. I made my way over to her. "What are you doing?"

Rosalie didn't even look up at me when she spoke. "What does it look like? I'm assessing the damage to Bella's car."

"Why?" I asked.

Rosalie finally looked at me and spoke through her thoughts. _'Are you stupid?' _

I growled at her in response.

Rosalie rolled her eyes at me. "So I can fix it."

"That is not wise. We should not get involved in Bella's life," I told her through gritted teeth. As much as I wished to know Bella and have her in my life, it wasn't right for her or Jude.

"Relax, Edward. I'm fixing her car, not inviting her to dinner," Rosalie said before laughing. She obviously thought her pun was quite humorous.

I disagreed completely. I hissed at her angrily. "That is not funny!"

Before either of us could say anything else, a police cruiser pulled into the lot. It had to be Chief Swan driving his daughter since she currently didn't have her car.

Sure enough, Bella got out of the car seconds later. "Thanks, Dad," she said before closing the door and watching her dad leave. Then she made her way over to them. "Hey. What are you guys doing?"

"Hey, Bella. How are you doing?" Rosalie asked.

"I'm okay. The pain was gone the next morning. I was more worried about Jude than anything else," Bella said.

"How is Jude?" I couldn't help but ask.

"He's perfectly fine. It's like the accident didn't even affect him. I wish the same could be said for me. I haven't let him out of my sight all weekend," Bella said.

I couldn't really blame her for that. What happened must have scared the hell out of her. I could only imagine how difficult it must have been for her to come so close to losing her little boy

"So what are you guys doing?" Bella asked again.

"Um, I was just looking at the damage to your car. It's pretty extensive, but I think I can fix it," Rosalie said.

"You know how to fix cars?" Bella asked sounding surprised. It was understandable. No many girls Rosalie's physical age were good with cars.

"Yeah. I've been fixing cars for years. Tell you what? Why don't come home with us this afternoon? I have all the parts we need there. All we have to do is tow it," Rosalie said.

I growled lowly at my sister. What the hell did she think she was doing? I told her we should be staying away from Bella, not involving ourselves into her life further.

'_Get over yourself, Edward!'_ Rosalie hissed through her thoughts.

"You don't have to do that, Rosalie. I mean, you guys have done more than enough for me as it is. I can just take it to a shop," Bella said.

"They'll take weeks and they're charge you an arm and a leg. Look, you need a vehicle to drive your son around. If you won't let me do it for you, let me do it for him," Rosalie said.

Bella chuckled. "Man, you guys sure know how to get someone to do what you want. Alright, you can fix it, but I don't think I can come to your house. I don't have to work tonight, but I do need to pick Jude up at four from Daycare."

"Bring him with you. Our parents won't mind," Rosalie said.

I felt like smacking my sister. Was she crazy? Bringing two humans, one being a baby, into a house full of vampires? That was a disaster waiting to happen.

"Are you sure?" Bella asked sounding skeptical. She seemed to doubt that our parents would be so understanding. She was probably just so used to receiving criticism from people, especially older people.

"Positive. Carlisle and Esme don't judge," Rosalie said.

"Well, okay, but you have to let me pay you," Bella said.

"We'll work something out. Meet me out here after school. I'll drive you to get your son and then we'll head to my place," Rosalie said.

"Okay that sounds good. Thanks. I better get to class," Bella said before leaving.

I gave my sister a withering glare, which she simply returned, before heading into the building myself.


	7. Chapter 7

**Bella's POV**

After school, I met Rosalie and we went to pick up Jude from Daycare. Now we were on the way to the Cullen house.

I'd briefly seen Edward before we left school. He didn't seem too happy with me coming to his house. He had glared at Rosalie repeatedly as we were getting in the car. The others looked a bit uneasy too, but Edward looked downright pissed. I wasn't sure what to make of it. It was like the guy had different moods for different times of the day.

"You okay?" Rosalie asked me as she drove. She must have noticed my deep thought.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I was just thinking about your brother. I don't get him sometimes," I said.

Rosalie snorted. "There isn't a person alive that gets Edward."

"It's just that he flip flops so much. When I first met him, he acted like he hated me, then he talked to be me like we were friends, and now we're back to the hate. Or at least dislike enough not to want me at your house."

"Edward's moods fluctuate a lot. Sometimes we joke that he must be bipolar," Rosalie joked.

I chuckled. "Yeah, that's certainly how it seems."

"It's not you. He just frets like an idiot," Rosalie told me.

"Does it have anything to do with however it is you saved both saved us the other day?" I asked. I regretted the question immediately as Rosalie tensed.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Rosalie said.

"It's okay, Rosalie. I don't plan on telling anybody what happened. Hell, I don't even know what happened and that's fine with me. You saved my son's life. I don't care how you did it, I'm just glad you did," I told her. Under different circumstances, I might push for information about what happened, but they saved my baby from being crushed to death. I was satisfied with that fact.

I might have imagined it, but I could've sworn I saw Rosalie smile.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

About twenty minutes later, we made it to the Cullen house, which was huge by the way, and Rosalie led Jude and me inside and up to the living room. All the Cullen kids were waiting there with a slightly older dark haired woman. She must have been their mother, thought she didn't look old enough to be a mom to children so old. I was hardly one to talk though. When people looked at me, they didn't see someone who could be a mother.

"Everyone, this is Bella and Jude. Bella I'm sure you've seen Jasper, Alice, and Emmett around. And this is our mother, Esme," Edward introduced.

"Hi," I greeted.

Mrs. Cullen smiled warmly at me and made her way over to me. "Hi, Bella, it's good to meet you. And your son is absolutely adorable."

"Thank you, Mrs. Cullen," I said. I was pleasantly surprised by her reaction to Jude. When most found out I had a child, they immediately began giving me looks, but Mrs. Cullen took it in stride.

"Oh, Esme, dear, please," she said.

"Esme then.

Soon Alice made her way over and much to my surprise, hugged me. "It's good to finally meet you, Bella. We're going to get along great."

"Um, great," I said a little awkwardly. That was certainly not the reception I was expecting.

"Is her car here yet?" Rosalie asked.

"Yeah, it got here about ten minutes ago. It's in the garage," Esme said.

"Okay, I'm going to go get started," Rosalie said before heading back downstairs.

"Can we get you anything, Bella?" Esme asked.

"Oh, no thanks, I'm good," I told her.

"Please, have a seat," she said gesturing to the couch.

I smiled and immediately sat down before situating Jude in my lap.

"Um, I'm going to go start my homework," Jasper said before leaving the room. I got the feeling my presence made him uncomfortable, though I wasn't sure why.

"Don't mind him, Bella. He's just a bit stressed right now. I'll see you later," Alice said before going to chase after Jasper.

Esme came over and sat next to me. "So how old is he?"

"He just turned seven months. He's growing so fast. It seems like just yesterday that I brought him home," I told her.

"So what's it like being a high school mom?" Emmett asked.

"Emmett!" Esme chastised while Edward just hissed at him.

"No, it's okay. No one's actually come out and asked me a question like that before. You've got balls," I told him with a smile. I actually admired his bluntness. Most people just looked at me judgmentally and were unwilling to ask such questions. Also, Emmett asked in a joking manner, not a judgmental one.

"Thank you," Emmett said grinning. He obviously took it as a complement, which it was.

"Still, it was rude," Esme said while glaring at Emmett.

"Oh, that's not rude. Trust me, I'm an expert on rude," I told her.

Just then, Jude started to cry, bringing everyone's attention to him.

Edward began to chuckle. "He is hungry."

"Yeah, probably. How did you know?" I asked before pulling the diaper bag open and getting out a bottle.

"Guess," Edward said unconvincingly.

"Here, why don't you let me heat that up for you?" Esme asked before holding her hand out.

"Thanks," I said before handing her the bottle.

Esme stood up and headed out of the room.

Edward took his mother's place next to him and started playing with Jude's hand, prompting Jude to grab Edward's finger and put it in his mouth.

I chuckled. "Yeah, he's definitely hungry. It seems he wants to eat your fingers."

Edward smiled and took his hand away after a moment, but only to reach for Jude. "May I hold him?"

I almost laughed. Rosalie was right. He did seem bipolar. One minute he seemed to be pissed that I was there and the next he was smiling and asking to hold my baby. Maybe it was just Jude he likes. "Sure."

Edward immediately took Jude from me and settled him on his lap.

"Aw, I think Eddie's in love," Emmett said mockingly.

It seemed to go right over Edward's head, as he completely ignored his brother and instead started bouncing my boy on his knee.

Once again, I couldn't help but feel that Jude fit with Edward. Seeing them together was just beautiful. It was a sight that I enjoyed and wished I could see more often.

Soon, Esme came back into the room with Jude's bottle. "Her you go sweetie."

"Thanks," I said before taking it and checking to make sure it was the right temperature. Once I was sure, I went to hand it to Edward.

"What, me? I don't know how," Edward said panicked.

I chuckled. "It's not rocket science. You don't even have to do much. He'll grab for it as soon as you put hold it out for him. Here, just shift him a little so he's kind of laying in your arms.

Edward turned Jude so that he was cradling him and then took the bottle from me. He held it out for Jude, who grabbed a hold of it and popped it in his mouth.

"See?" I asked.

Edward nodded and then smiled down at my baby.


	8. Chapter 8

**Bella's POV**

The next day at lunch, I went to sit down at my usual table with Angela, Jessica, Lauren, and Mike. The only one of them that I actually liked was Angela. The others just seemed to have me around as someone to gossip about. Still, Angela was my only real friend and they were hers, so I sat with them.

As I was about to sit down though, I heard my name being called. I looked over and saw that it was Alice Cullen and she was motioning for me to join them.

I looked back at the group I was with who were all dumbstruck. Apparently they didn't think someone like me could get invited to eat with the Cullens.

As if on cue, I heard Lauren 'whisper' to Jessica. "How does the teen mom get an invite to the Cullen table?"

"You do realize I can hear you, right?" I asked before crossing the lunchroom over to the Cullens. I sat down between Edward and Rosalie.

"Hey, Bella. How's the car running?" Rosalie asked.

"Great. You do great work. We still have to talk about payment though," I told her. I wasn't going to let her do all that work for nothing. I was paying her back whether she liked it or not.

"She is not taking your money," Edward said. It sounded like he was ordering Rosalie not to accept money from me.

I glared at him. "Was I talking to you? Did you fix my car? This is between Rosalie and me."

"Call me Rose, please. Anyway, Edward's right. I don't need your money. If you really wanna pay me back, let me watch Jude for you sometime," Rosalie said.

I felt Edward stiffen next to me, as well as Jasper from across the table, but neither of them said a word. I wasn't sure what their deal was. Why did they have a problem if Rosalie was around Jude? Was it the whole teen mom thing again? Jasper I could see possibly having an issue with that, but Edward never seemed to have a problem with it. He'd held my son. He'd _requested_ to hold my son. Somehow I didn't think he had a problem with Jude. So what was his deal?

I shook those thoughts off after a moment to answer Rosalie. "How does your watching my son payment to you. I'm pretty sure that's just doing me another favor."

Emmett laughed. "You don't know my Rosie. She loves kids. She'd be getting more out of it than you."

"Have you ever taken care of a baby before?" I asked her.

"It's been a really long time, but I have a good memory and I don't think much has changed in that department since then," Rosalie said with a smile.

I thought about it for a minute. Normally, I wouldn't trust someone I barely knew with my son, but Rosalie had helped to save Jude's life. I knew I could trust her with him. "Well, okay, if it's what you really want. It would give my dad a break too while I'm working."

"Great. When do you want me to do it?" Rosalie asked.

"Rosalie," Jasper said in a warning tone.

Alice tugged on his arm and they began whispering to each other. A few minutes later, Jasper looked resigned, but still unhappy.

Honestly, his attitude was pissing me off. His and Edward's. It was like Rose and I were committing some horrible sin by doing this or something. What was their issue?

I was pulled out of my thoughts by Rosalie. "So, Bella, when do you wanna do it?"

"Um, how about Saturday? My dad has a fishing trip up at La Push and he was going to turn it down to watch Jude," I told her.

Rosalie nodded. "Saturday's perfect. How about I do it at your house?"

"Yeah, that's a good idea. That way I don't have to lug Jude's things all over the place," I said.

"Excuse me," Edwards said rudely before getting up and walking away.

I watched him go for a minute and then made the decision to go after him.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

**Edward's POV**

I felt Bella follow me as I walked away. I walked as fast as I could while maintaining a human pace so as to lose her, but no such luck. She was able to catch up with me just as I left the lunchroom and she grabbed my arm, forcing me to look her in her angry yet beautiful brown eyes.

"Hey. What's your problem?"

"I don't have a problem," I said through gritted teeth. My anger wasn't directed towards Bella though. I was angry at Rosalie for being so stupid as to offer babysitting services.

"No? So the hissy fit I just witnessed when I agreed to let Rose watch Jude was just my imagination?" Bella asked.

I didn't answer. It wasn't like I could deny it and I couldn't tell her why I was so upset either.

Bella huffed. Obviously she was annoyed by my lack of response. "What is it with you and your brother? Why do you have such a problem my son?"

I almost flinched. It felt like someone had slapped me. I didn't have a problem with Jude. Quite the contrary. I was trying to protect him. He was just a little baby. He couldn't protect himself from a possible accident and Bella couldn't do it either because she didn't understand the danger. Someone had to look out for him and I felt that I had to be that person. "I don't have a problem with Jude."

"Well, I didn't think so after you asked to hold him, but then what is the problem? Why do you have such a problem with him being around your family? God, I swear Rose is right. You do have some kind of bipolar disorder," Bella said.

I scowled. I'd heard that one of course. My siblings joked about it all the time because of how my moods could sometimes change. I personally didn't find it very funny. "You don't understand."

"Then make me understand or stay out of it!" Bella yelled at me.

I had to say something. I couldn't tell her the truth, but I had to at least warn her so that she could protect her son. "You shouldn't leave Jude with Rose. It's not safe."

"What? Rose helped you save Jude and me. Now you're telling me she's a danger to him?" Bella asked in disbelief.

"She wouldn't harm him on purpose, but accidents happen," Edward said.

Bella blinked and looked at me as if I'd lost my mind. "Are you kidding me? Accidents happen? That's true of anyone. What, should I wrap my child in bubble wrap for the rest of his life?"

"It's more complicated than that. I can't explain more than I have," I told her.

"Well, you're going to have to if you expect me to keep your sister away from my child. I mean, what's the difference between her being around him and you being around him?"

"You should not allow me around him either," I told her. And it was true. Being around Bella and Jude filled me with so much joy, but it was dangerous to them both. It would be better for them to have nothing to do with me.

Bella shook her head in disbelief. "Well, if that's how you feel, you won't have a problem there. Your sister is a different issue. Unless you can give me a real reason not to, I trust her."

I opened my mouth to say something, but promptly shut it. As much as I wanted to warn her away, I could not tell her the truth. That would mean death for all of us.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," Bella said before walking away from me.


	9. Chapter 9

**Edward's POV**

I was sitting in my room listening to my music. My family would probably say I was brooding and they were probably right. I was not exactly happy right now. Rosalie and Alice were out shopping with Bella and her son. Rosalie had gone out of her way to spend time with Bella and Jude in the last few weeks. She'd babysat Jude three times since they made their deal and they'd also gone a couple of times despite my objections. Alice had begun joining them too.

I didn't understand why my sisters were so intent on going against my wishes. Didn't they see the danger they were putting Bella and her son in? I could understand why they were so drawn of course. Bella and Jude were wonderful. They made life worth living, at least they did for me. But we put them in danger just by being around them. All it would take was one slip to destroy them. I could not allow that to happen."

"Edward," a voice called out.

I turned to the doorway to see my father, Carlisle. I immediately took out my earphones. "Oh, hello, Carlisle. Did you need something?"

Carlisle walked further into the room. "Jasper has asked me to speak with you. It appears that you have him feeling things he would rather not."

I sighed. My feelings were quite strong, especially the anger at Rosalie and Alice. I wasn't surprised that my brother felt it or that he was unhappy to feel it. My feelings did involve his wife after all. "I will try to calm down."

"Would you like to talk about what is bothering you? Perhaps I can help," Carlisle said.

"I'm not sure how, unless you can convince Rosalie and Alice to stay away from Bella and Jude," I said.

"You know better than that, son. I will not interfere with their choices. Befriending humans is peculiar for them, especially Rosalie, but we have no rule against it and I will not impose one," Carlisle said firmly.

"But they're putting Bella and her son in danger," I protested.

"I won't deny that a danger exists, however, they have not been overly tempted. Rosalie always feeds before she watches Young Jude," Carlisle said.

"But there's still a risk!" I said angrily.

"We've been around humans before, Edward," Carlisle said.

"This is different," I said. And it was. It was different for me. Bella wasn't just some other human to me. She brought me joy every time I saw her. The same could be said for Jude, though it was for a different reason of course. I couldn't stand the thought of anything happening to either of them.

"I know it is for you because you love her," Carlisle said.

Sometimes I wondered if he was the one that could read minds. "It's different because she has a child too."

"And you love him as well," Carlisle said knowingly.

I turned away from him after a moment. "What I feel for Jude is confusing to me. It is similar to what I feel for Bella. I feel the need to protect him at all costs. Nothing seems more important than protecting him. That is why I get so concerned when Rosalie goes to watch him. Why do I feel this way? Is there some term what I am feeling?"

"Yes, there is. It's called paternal love," Carlisle said with a smile.

"But I'm not Jude's father," I told him. I wished I could be his father. I certainly felt emotions toward him that a father felt, at least I believed so. It was hard to know for sure since I was not a father.

"Yet a part of you feels like you are."

"Yes, but how can that be? Is it like the mate calling? Am I feeling like this because of what I am?" I asked.

"I can't say whether or not your feelings for Jude were so strong so fast because of what you are and what you feel for his mother. I can't say it because this has never happened before. As far as I know, no vampire has ever mated with a human before, let alone felt a connection to that human's child. But I will say that the love for a child is entirely human," Carlisle told me.

I sighed. "Yes, well, whatever I may feel for Bella and her son, I cannot act on it. For their safety, I must find a way to forget what I feel."

"Oh, Son, I'm afraid you will find soon enough that that is not possible," Carlisle said before leaving my room.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

**Rosalie's POV**

I was walking the streets of Port Angeles looking for Bella. After hours of listening to Alice go on about clothes and forcing her to try on outfit after outfit, Bella managed to flee the shopping Nazi in search of a bookstore.

Alice and I had become good friends with Bella over the last few weeks. It wasn't all that shocking for Alice, but it was for me. Normally, I wouldn't give someone like Bella the time of day, even if she was my brother's mate. In fact, that would make it worse. I would've considered bringing a human into our world a mistake, as it would likely end with her change and I was adamantly against any human being changed into one of us.

"I'd have to say the change started with Jude. I had a big soft spot for kids, and as it turned out, girls with kids. But it stopped being about Jude not long afterwards. I got to know Bella and I had to say that I liked her. I could certainly see what Edward saw in her.

I was soon pulled from my thoughts by the sound of Bella's voice. She sounded afraid. I immediately began running in the direction of her voice and followed it to an ally.

The scene I was greeted to when I got to the alley had me seeing red. Bella and Jude were surrounded by a bunch of guys who were advancing on her. She had Jude behind her to protect him.

For a second, I wasn't in that alley. I had taken a step back in time to my own attack, to the night those men had attacked me and left me for dead. I would be damned if I let that happen to Bella.

I immediately charged towards them at full vampire speed. I grabbed one of the men by the neck and sent him clear across the alley. I then did the same to a second one. The others looked at their buddies in fear and quickly fled.

I had half a mind to go after them and kill every last one of them, but I didn't. Killing them would certainly be justified, but it wouldn't help Bella. All it would do was force me and my family to leave. That wasn't in anyone's best interests.

I turned back to Bella, who was staring at me in utter shock. There was no getting out of this one. She had seen everything.


End file.
